A carpet is really good to use but sometimes it can become so dirty. This post contains a few guidelines and steps that you need to follow to rid the carpet of the bad smell keeping in mind that it is important to know how to clean carpet smell by yourself.
Most carpets are absorbent and most of the time they could keep bad smells disturbing long after the spills or other accidents, not forgetting smoking. This should not worry you at all since you only need to do some extra cleaning to remove the bad smell and have your carpet smelling good or having no smell at all.
It is quite a simple process to put that in order with a few common household products.
How to Clean Carpet Smell by Yourself
Removing mould smells
There are many ways of cleaning off the mould odour but we will have to be specific in this case considering the cause of the odour. If there is a smell of mould in your house, it is most likely that you are having high humidity levels in the house.
In that case, just treating it will not be enough to bring down the odour. This is simply because the mould spores will continue to thrive in the available conditions. Basically, if you change your habits a little you can rid the carpet of the smell sooner than you expect.
It is important to use a dehumidifier in this case or simply open a window to let steam from cooking or shower out. Alternatively, you can run a fan during showers.
After that, you can use a wet-dry vacuum to get out excess water off the carpet. This limits the growth of mould.
Mix a cup of white vinegar with two cups of warm water. It is advisable to dilute your vinegar before you use it on mould smells. Note also that the water should not be warmed on the stove.
Take the mixture in a spray bottle and thoroughly it on the carpet until the carpet is damp enough to react with baking soda.
Sprinkle baking soda on the damp carpet completely covering it. You expect the baking soda to react to the dilute vinegar.
After the reaction comes to an end, you can let the carpet settle for some time before you can now vacuum it off the carpet.
After that, turn on a fan to prevent the return of the mould smell. It is advisable to open a window to prevent stuffiness in the room.
Eliminating general odour
To eliminate the odours from your carpet, you will have to rid the carpet of any dirt first. This may include dry spills and any other dirt on the carpet. To remove this, blot away any wetness and dab soap on the stains to have your carpet in the best state before you get other odours off.
After getting the dirt off, you can now sprinkle baking soda on the carpet to neutralise all the odours trapped in the carpet.
Leave the soda for some time after you make sure that the soda is evenly spread on the carpet. You may want to leave the carpet to stay overnight if the problem is really bad but remember to keep the pets and children away from the area.
After the time you can vacuum up the baking soda making sure you keep an eye on the vacuum bag or canister as it can fill up quickly and empty it if need be.
Deep treating your carpet
To use this method, you need to make your own treating chemical.
You will need:
⦁ 2 tablespoons hydrogen peroxide
⦁ 5 mm liquid soap or soapy solution
⦁ 1 liter of water
⦁ 1/4 cup of baking soda
Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle. Make sure the chemical does not touch your skin as hydrogen peroxide can scorch your skin. You may also consider using gloves during the operation. Remember not to cover the chemical once it is ready.
When the chemical is ready you can spray it thoroughly on the carpet to form an even coat on the carpet and leave it to sit for about 24 hours.
Remember to keep pets and children away from the chemical and make sure you dispose of the excess properly.
After the 24 hours, you can now use a towel or a clean rag to soak up the excess liquid from the carpet before airing it to let the excess wetness off the carpet.
Removing smoke odours
When you accidentally blow that socket or get burnt food smoke all over the house, your carpet shall hold such a smell for a long time. To remove this kind of smell, you simply need ammonia or vinegar.
Do not use both ammonia and vinegar together, this combination shall create a toxic gas, choose one of the two.
Step 1: Fill jars with your select substance
Find 2 to 3 jars with ammonia or vinegar. Do not fill the bowls to the brim to avoid splashing in on your carpet.
Step 2: Leave the substance to sit for up to 24 hours
Let the vinegar or ammonia in the open bowls safely sit for up to 24 hours. The ammonia or vinegar shall slowly absorb the odour from the smoke in the room including your carpet.
You can confirm by yourself to ensure all the odour is gone completely. After you are done, dispose of the vinegar or ammonia safely.
Not that these substances should stay away from children or pets to avoid poisoning.
Get rid of smoke odor using baking soda
Baking soda is always there to help. Just sprinkle a generous amount over your carpet and allow it to sit overnight. After this, vacuum up your carpet to remove the baking soda and get a result of an odour-free clean carpet.
How to Clean Carpet Smell from Pets
Pets are a major cause of odours, to clear up for pets, you can follow the below simple guide.
Clear any remaining moisture
In case of pet urine, ensure you use a towel, cloth or paper towel to suck the moisture. If the mess is already dry, use clean water to wet the problem area and later blot out the remaining moisture as before.
Use dish soap and clean cold tap water, mix this at the ratio of 1 part soap to 2 parts water. Use this to clean up the area, if you got any stubborn stains, use vinegar to blot the area then suck the excess moisture using a spare towel or rug.
You shall have cleared the pet odour and mess at the same time.
Use baking soda and white vinegar
Do effectively do this, apply baking soda on the spot and let it stay overnight.
After staying for a good time, add vinegar to the spot while you still keep the baking soda
The baking soda and white vinegar shall react and start foaming. Just let the reaction take place to break the odor.
Allow the place to stay for up to ten minutes.
Now use a clean cloth to blot the agents from your carpet.
Let the area dry up and confirm whether the odour is still present by smelling. It should have gone away. However, if it is still present, it might necessitate a carpet steam cleaner.
Conclusion
Cleaning carpet smell is a basic skill that every homeowner should have. You shall frequently have odors from molds, mildew, your pet(s) and much more. When this happens, this guide should let you easily navigate through the cleaning process.
This is how to clean carpet smell of all sorts, we are done.